Archives for September 2005

Michaëlle Jean immigrated to Canada from Port-au-Prince in 1968 and studied at the University of Montreal as well as Universities in Italy before beginning her career as a Quebec television journalist in 1988. While Jean tended to her pursuit of higher education she assisted hundreds of women and children in crisis, and passionately donated her time to the establishment of a network of emergency shelters throughout the province of Québec and elsewhere in Canada.

Jean’s deep commitment to social causes and domestic issues fostered her prosperous career as a highly respected journalist and anchor for Radio-Canada working as a reporter and host on such news and public affairs programs as Actuel, Montréal ce soir, Virages and Le Point. Since 1995 she has worked on such shows as Le Monde ce soir, L’Édition québécoise, Horizons francophones, le Journal RDI and RDI à l’écoute. Anglo-Canadian viewers of the CBC were first introduced to Jean in 2000, when she began presenting documentaries on The Passionate Eye and Rough Cuts.

“…My ancestors were slaves, they fought for freedom. I was born in Haiti, the poorest country in our hemisphere. I am a daughter of exiles driven from their home by a dictatorial regime …I have come a long way.” – Michaëlle Jean

At Jean’s official public appointing to her duties as the newly elected Governor-general of Canada, PM Martin said “… She has known what it is to come to a new country with little more than hope, hope and a belief that with hard work a new country can bring new opportunity,” and furthered his motion by calling Jean “an extremely talented woman who will bring a new perspective to the office.”

Jean, in her first press conference as Governor-general of Canada, stated that she wanted to reach out to young people and the disadvantaged. Prime Minister Paul Martin, never one to miss an opportunity to exalt the virtues of this great nation, was quoted as saying…“She is a reflection of that great quality of Canada, a country which focuses on equality of opportunity”.

What does it mean to be Canada’s Governor-general?

The role of the Canadian Governor-general is mostly symbolic and ceremonial in nature. The position is selected by the Prime Minister of Canada, although the formal appointment is made by the Queen of England.

The term of office is usually five years, but may be extended up to seven years. Traditionally the appointment of Governor-general alternates between anglophone and francophone candidates. The official duties of the Governor-general of Canada include:

– Giving Royal Assent to bills passed in the Canadian House of Commons and the Senate
– Reading the Speech from the Throne which outlines the Canadian federal government agenda for a new session of Parliament
– Executing orders-in-council or cabinet decisions.
– Appointing superior court judges, on the advice of cabinet.
– Summoning, closing and dissolving Parliament, on the advice of the Prime Minister.
Inviting the leader of the party with the most support in the House of Commons to form the government.
Acting Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Armed Forces.
– Encouraging excellence in Canada through a system of honors and awards such as the Order of Canada and promotes national identity and national unity.

Almost 400 years since Nova Scotia’s founding fathers embarked on their journey across the Atlantic, John Russell, originally from Clackmannanshire Scotland, is leading a new wave of Scots to the second smallest province in Canada.

John and his wife moved to the Atlantic coastal province in August 2004 after spending a picture-postcard holiday there. Inspired by the hospitality and friendliness of the locals Mr. Russell was attracted by the idea of setting up a small business all his own. The 51 year old grandfather of four calls Canada, “the land of opportunity” and is equally impressed with the high quality of life that the country affords it’s citizens. The Government of Nova Scotia has since employed Russell as its unofficial ambassador to Scotland for a two-day immigration “rally” held at the Golden Lion Hotel in Stirling. Frances Wolfe, the manager of immigration for Nova Scotia hopes that Russell can convince other Scots to make the move across the pond. With posters of wide open spaces and Maple leaf flags waving, Canada is becoming increasingly proactive about their immigration practices by hosting such industry events, while at the same time showing Jack McConnel, Scotland’s First Minister, how Canada plans to “win” the immigrationgame.

Nova Scotia, Canada

The two nations share more than a passing family history, they’re both desperate to attract new blood to their aging economies and dwindling populations. Wolfe targeted Scotland with the belief that Scottish migrants would feel well at home in a province founded by their ancestors and who’s name in Latin means “New Scotland”. Promoting the promise of a 35-hour work week along with their “this land is your land” approach the show did well in advancing the Canadian drive to bring a quarter of a million new immigrants to the country every year. The event had a higher than expected turnout and keyed up interest from the young and old alike. Ms. Wolfe’s plan has been largely successful in generating attention abroad and has admitted that part of her success comes down to the personal approach she advocates by cultivating such industry events.

About Nova Scotia

– One of the four Atlantic provinces on the east coast of Canada
– Second-smallest province (PEI is the smallest)
– Made up of the mainland and Cape Breton Island
– Over 3800 coastal islands
– Capital city and largest city – Halifax (population 370,000)
– Halifax is an international seaport and transportation center.
– One-quarter of the people are of British origin.
– Later settlers came from England, Germany, Scotland.
– NS also has Canada’s oldest African-Canadian community.
– Explorer John Cabot came to Nova Scotia in 1497.
– In 1867 Nova Scotia became a part of the Dominion of Canada.
– The province is almost surrounded by water.
– Most of the province is covered with forests and lakes.
– There are 3000 lakes in the province.

On the days leading up to Monday August 29 Hurricane Katrina had set her vengeful eye on America’s Gulf Coast and as she clawed her way inland the people aligned in her path were anticipating the very worst, and rightfully so.

Thousands of people eventually made it out with only precious hours to spare before the “big wind” hit, and yet countless others were left to defend themselves against nature’s fury with little more than hope and a prayer to save them. When all was said and done Hurricane Katrina left total devastation in her wake and had displaced hundreds of thousands of Americans from their homes and their very lives.

“Natural Disaster” as a term used to describe this massive catastrophic event hitherto unseen in modern America seems strangely inept when one begins to describe the fallout. The enormous task of rebuilding the places and lives of the people that were terribly affected by this cataclysm will have billions upon billions poured into the relief and reconstruction effort. Years will come to pass before America’s Gulf Coast will see some semblance of its former self re-emerge from the water-logged ruins.

Millions of people worldwide opened their hearts to the victims of Katrina donating whatever they could to the disaster relief effort that is still underway. Victims are now scattered across the US and even as far as Canada as they seek refuge from the aftermath of the storm. Our hearts and thoughts go out to all these people in their time of need.

Answer: AOR is an acronym that stands for the term “Acknowledgment Of Receipt”. An AOR indicates that the Canadian consulate, embassy, or high commission, has received your application for permanent residency and has issued a case file number for the application submitted. The length of time it takes for an individual to receive an AOR varies with the specific visa processing office the application was initially submitted to.

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